Lady Mettle is an idea. The idea of clean. The idea of order, and peace. And if we make it that far, homes that will be the envy of the neighbor ladies. So post away, create a hive of ideas and thoughts to aid the rest of us in wrapping our minds around what it means to 'keep house', but most of all, keep your well made chin up, and your pouty lips glossy!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

No more sticky floors

I was recently about to give up on my floors ever being clean, let alone not sticky. It seems that no one who eats or drinks anything is able to keep their beverages from spilling, and the dogs can't seem to pee outside. Then, the dirt from our houseful of shoes makes best friends with that sticky mess under the table, and voila! a sticky black and brown deer track through the dining room, to the bathroom and all the way to the kitchen.

I have tried Murphy's oil soap, which looked great while it was still wet, only to dry to a dull film, re-inviting grime and footprints. Then, I tried the swiffer wet things, which smelled a little too much like cleaner, and achieved the same filmy result.

Finally, after some soul {and google} searching I decided to try the age old method of vinegar & water, on my knees with a washcloth. Lucky for me we have tiny floors, because it works perfectly. The floors are shiny, smooth, and actually seem dirt resistant! It dries really fast, and since I am looking at what I am doing up close, I truly get a clean floor. Amazing.

Here is a long and useful list of uses for vinegar, my new best friend. {and just for good measure, here is another list, full of photographic aids...}

1 comment:

ugh. those swiffer wet thingies are the worst! they're the devil, i tell you! do people actually use those things? and with good results? i bought some once to use in my tiny laundry room where we keep two litter boxes for the cats. i swept and then wet-swiffered and the floor became more mucked up than previous.

i've always had good luck with murphy's oil soap...maybe dilute it more? i always just used a tiny dash of it in a big bucket of water.

but vinegar is indeed wonderful. try mixing up a little bottle of it with water and some tea tree or peppermint essential oil...instant anti-bacterial cleaner and safe on everything!